Clark Hill’s Thomas Ragland and Patrick Taurel Pursue FOIA Requests in Deportation Cases

On November 30, 2016, Thomas K. Ragland and Patrick Taurel of Clark Hill’s Immigration Law practice, filed a complaint under the Freedom of Information Act in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against three government agencies seeking records related to Robert T. Schofield, a corrupt former U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer whose misconduct harmed many immigrants, including some Clark Hill clients. The records the lawsuit seeks to uncover will aid Ragland and Taurel in defending Schofield’s victims in deportation proceedings. Clark Hill is joined by two Washington, D.C.-area law firms.  Read about the lawsuit in Courthouse News here.

Ragland focuses his practice on litigation before the federal courts, immigration courts, and the Board of Immigration Appeals as well as representation of clients before the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. consulates abroad. He is a seasoned litigator known for handling complex matters for both individual and corporate clients. He has specific experience in district court and appellate litigation, defense against removal, immigration consequences of criminal convictions, asylum, waivers of inadmissibility, citizenship and permanent residence, complex consular matters, post-conviction relief in federal court, and defense against terrorism – and security-related bars to admission.

Taurel is an Associate in Clark Hill’s Washington, D.C. office. He has been practicing immigration law for over five years, having worked in both the private and non-profit sectors. His practice focuses on federal court litigation and removal defense, as well as affirmative benefits before United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and U.S. Consulates abroad.

Firm Profile

Clark Hill PLC is an entrepreneurial, full service law firm that provides business legal services, government & public affairs, and personal legal services to our clients throughout the country. With offices in Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia, Clark Hill has more than 350 attorneys and professionals. For more information on our firm and our services, visit www.clarkhill.com.